Republicans and Democrats agree on why NJ sucks

A new Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll that asked New Jersey and how they rate our state versus the rest of the country finds positive and negative indicators from poll respondents.

About 61 percent say the state's public education system is better.

Many residents also believe race relations are better in the Garden State than elsewhere.

On the downside, the majority of those in the poll found state finances and our roads are not in good shape.

About 85 percent said the cost of living in New Jersey is the worst.

"New Jersey was not always a place of higher prices, inferior roads and a shaky treasury. That is an outcome that we have, unfortunately, worked hard to achieve over the decades," poll director Krista Jenkins said

"Even Democrats and Republicans alike agree on how expensive it is to live here and how bad our roads are, which is something that we do not see very often in public attitudes."

When it comes to New Jersey's economy and environment, an almost even number of residents in the poll rate the state as better or worse: 43 percent better; 42 percent worse.

The FDU poll also asked residents about how Gov. Phil Murphy is faring in his first year in offie. About 41 percent said Murphy's doing a good job, an improvement from January, when the poll found 31 percent approved and 60 percent who disapproved.